


More than a name

by Shmooshedbreadsticks



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Robin: Son of Batman (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 01:51:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20074156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shmooshedbreadsticks/pseuds/Shmooshedbreadsticks
Summary: Everyone calls Damian Wayne the Demon Spawn, little do they know how accurate the name really is





	More than a name

Tim's POV:

I took a sip of my coffee and looked at the screen in front of me. I was investigating a recent series of robberies. I mean, this is Gotham, of course there is a robebery. All I have to do is find out which of these psychopaths is guilty, but I've been at it for a while. I turn to the clock and see it's 3:13 am. Yikes I stayed up for a while. I have work at 8 so I should probably get some sleep. 

I put the tablet down and make my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water before bed. When I get there I see Damian is already there. He seems to be pretty exhausted. I don't think he got any sleep last night, and he only got a few hours so far since he got back from patrol at 1am. 

"Hey, Demon Spawn" I quip. He said nothing, but I quickly dodged a spoon he threw at me. It's not that I HATE Damian. He's just not the easiest to get along with. A lot of times I'll call him Demon Spawn because he's a little monster and it annoys him, but it kind of turned into a term of endearment for him. At least that's what I think. 

"*TT* Tim" he glares. Now I KNOW he's exhausted. He rarely ever calls me by my first name. I think the only time he ever has is when I almost was killed by the Joker and when he had been drugged by Poison Ivy. I watch as he systematically crushes some herb and places it in a tea bag before adding it to hot water. 

"What's that?" I ask as I reach up to take a glass out of the cabinet. He swirled the teabag around in the cup.

"Valerian" he says simply. I begin to fill up my cup with water. He doesn't even make any remark. Damn this kid needs to sleep. He's not always an asshole. He's still my brother, despite his protests about being the 'Blood Son', and I kinda still care. Not that I'd admit that though.

"Oh, I've heard of that. It calms you down and helps you sleep right?" He nodded, and I sipped my water. "You look like you barely slept at all, you could use some sleep." I added feigning indifference.

I expect him to respond, but I turn to see his tea untouched and him aleep at the table. I smirk silently. I know he can't sleep here, but I really don't want to wake him up. He needs to sleep. Damn, since when did I care so much?

I decided that I would carry him to his room. I mean, how heavy could the kid be? I put my arms around him and lift him. He immediately stirs and squirms out of my arms. Oops. I forgot the whole 'assasin' thing. I realized he looks more scared for a moment as if he forgot where he was. I opened my mouth to try to calm him down when I froze.

He looked at me straight in the eyes. It wasn't the fear that was shocking. It was the color. His eyes were red. Like blood red. Not blood shot, his irises were red, almost as if he was meant to have red eyes. 

I tried to regain my composure to calm him down, but he soon figured out where he was. As he looked around, he visibly calmed. He picked up hid tea and held it in both hands. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath calming himself. When he opened his eyes again, they were emerald green again. 

"Sorry, Damian. I was going to bring you upstairs, and I didn't want to wake you." I apologized. He still looked a little shaken up. I think we both did. 

"It's fine Drake. Your intent is appreciated. Good night." And with that, he took his tea and went back to his room. I was left in the kitchen alone wondering what the hell just happened.

——————————————————————————-  
Jason's POV: 

I look out across the Gotham skyline. This is a shitty place, but it's my shitty place. My home. That's why I'm out on patrol. Bruce lets me live at the manner and be Red Hood now. He still doesn't completely approve, but I think Alfred had a role in convincing him. We agreed he would try to stay off my case if I tried to limit my killing. 

I stood up a little straighter when I heard a scream. I looked down from the rooftop to see a group of people circling a small child. I counted 17 as I moved to find a better point to strike from. I can definitely fight off these people, but I'm outnumbered, meaning it won't be fun. I sense something behind me, but I don't turn around.

"Need some assistance Hood?" The voice behind me asked. I smirked.

"Perfect timing Demon Child." We looked at each other and silently agreed what we were going to do. I don't know exactly when we learned how to communicate like this. We just find that if you're raised by Batman, it's something you pick up.

We descended upon the unsuspecting men, knocking 3 out in the process. Damian slashed 2 of the men's ankles with his katana, causing them to writhe in pain. At the same time, I made my way to the little girl and led her away from the fighting. 

When I got her away, I saw a woman looking around frantically. She saw the girl and ran to us. The girl ran straight to the woman, as she was enveloped in a tearful embrace. Something tells me that's her mother. Seeing as that's taken care of, I rush back to help the Demon Spawn.

When I reach him, I see he has already taken care of 5 more of the men, leaving 7 left. I know the kid can hold his own, I mean he was trained by assasins, but it's still impressive. I knock out one of them with the back of my gun before hearing a groan of pain. I begin to panic because the groan didn't come from one of these men. 

When I turn around, I see Damian with a knife in his abdomen. Shit. I knock out 2 more of the men, leaving 3, as Damian knocked another out while I was distracted. Two of them were attacking Damian as another came at me. This poor kid can't get a break. 

I soon realized that this guy was a lot bigger than the rest. As I fought him, I heard Damian grunt in pain a few more times. I tried to hurry up, but this guy would not go down. I focused my attention on the guy directly in front of me, soon taking him down. 

I turned to Damian to see both men around him on the ground, and him holding his side. I rushed to help him stand. 

"Shit Da- Robin. I'm sorry. I got distracted bringing the kid to her mom and-" 

"*TT* Hood you did nothing wrong." He said cutting me off. Damn. The kid who wouldn't forgive me for stepping on his cat's tail, will forgive me for allowing him to get stabbed while I was distracted. I quickly brought him to my safe house, which was luckly close by. 

I opened the door, and carefully lifted Damian onto the counter. Running into the bathroom, I grabbed a first-aid kit and brought it back to the kitchen. 

"Damian look at me," I started, but he wouldn't look at me. I continued anyways. "I'm going to have to take this knife out. okay?" He nodded his consent. 

I gently touched the handle of the knife to remove it, bandages ready, but he flinched. His hands automatically reached for the knife in his side as he moaned in pain. I felt bad, but I was also caught off guard. His nails were different.

They were longer and pointed, like when someone gets their nails done, but that's not what caught me off guard. They were black too. Like naturally black. Not nail polish. Not his paints that he uses. They were black. 

I shook off my questions and focused on the problem at hand. I figured I'd rip the bandage off. I quickly took the knife out before he could react. He made a short whine of pain, and he laid back on the counter. I quickly got to disenfecting the wound and stitching it up. All in all he did pretty well. I carried him to the couch and told him to rest for a little before I took us back to the manor.

I laid a blanket over him as he did that thing with his tongue to protest. I don't know how he does. That *TT* thing. At this point I can't tell if it's directed at me or a habit. As I walked away I saw him holding the pillow, but that's not what struck me.

His nails were normal. They were short, rounded, and normal color. Maybe I got hit harder than I thought. Weird. I should ask him about it some time. 

——————————————————————————-  
Alfred's POV: 

I flipped the pancake from the pan onto the plate. Now that I had a considerable stack, I moved the plate onto the table for everyone's breakfast. I had already made bacon, sausage, and eggs, so I put those on the table too. 

I heard light footsteps enter the dining room. As the steps of an acrobat. Master Dick was this first one to the table. 

"Good morning Master Dick, how was your evening with Miss Gordon last night?" I inquired 

"Morning Alfie!" He returned cheerfully. I gave s small smile at the nickname, and he rambled on. "It was fun! We caught up after all my time with the Teen Titians. She helped me pick out a present for Star. Things are a lot more comfortable after we had the whole 'I-love-you-but-more-as-a-sibling-than-lover' talk." 

"Very good to hear Master Dick." As I said that, I heard shoving as both Master Jason and Master Timothy came into the room. They were pushing each other as they made their way to the table. Master Bruce followed close behind with the same face of indifference he has every morning until he gets his coffee. I said my good mornings to them. 

"Mornign ugh- Alfred" Master Timothy said as he was pushed by Mastee Jason.

"Sup' Alfred" Master Jason greeted. Master Bruce only grunted his greeting and made a bee-line for the coffee pot.

Master Damian was the last to the table. We exchanged good mornings as he took his seat. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl to add to his breakfast. Unfortunately, it seemed Master Timothy and Master Jason changed their targets from each other to Master Damian.

"Mornign Demon Spawn" both of them greeted in unison. Master Dick and Master Bruce tunes them out as they had their own conversation. 

"*TT* imbeciles" was his only reply as he focused on his breakdfast. 

"Young Masters" I warned.

"What? It's a term of endearment." Master Timothy argued. I sighed and turned my attention to my other tasks. Both of the boys considered to show their "endearment" for Master Damian. I assume that if things went too far, Master Damian would make sure they shut their mouths. I managed to tune most of them out until I heard uncontrollable laughter.

"The Demon Spawn is afraid of magicians!!!" Master Jason shouted through bursts of laughter. Master Timothy was in a similar state. Master Damian appeared to be seething with anger.

"I'm not afraid of magicians. I simply do not like magic." Master Damian retorted as he clutched his apple in anger.

" What about Raven? You don't seem bothered by her magic." Master Dick said suddenly injecting himself into the conversation.

"I understand her magic, and I know that she is in full control of her magic." He said simply. The other two young masters still seemed to find this hilarious. 

"Abracadabra!" Master Timothy shouted as he his his fork behind his napkin.

"Stop Timbo, you're scaring the Demon!" Master Jason said hysterically. 

Master Damian was not pleased. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He took a bite of his apple before using it as a weapon to hurdle at Master Timothy. I did not want a food fight, so I figured now would be the best time to step in.

"Okay young masters. You are done with your food, now go make messes elsewhere." I ordered as a shooed then out of the dining room. 

As they made their way out of the dining room, some were grumbling about it not being their fault, others still laughing, and still others seething. I began to clear the table. As I brought the plates to the sink, I saw the apple on the floor.

I picked it up to put into the compost bin when I saw that it looked different. There was the bite mark from Master Damian, but this was not normal. I have been in Gotham long enough to know what a normal bite mark is, and this is not it. Assisting Master Bruce as Batman has meant that I have seen many types of bite marks. 

This bite mark seemed to have been made by pointed teeth. Sharp, pointed teeth. I'll have to make a mental note of this. How strange. 

——————————————————————————-  
Bruce's POV:

I don't remember exactly how it happened, but Damian managed to convince me to let him accompany me to the Watchtower. There was nothing serious going on, but it was my turn to monitor any threats.

We arrived via Zeta tubes to a fairly empty Watchtower. It was only the two of us and Victor, but Victor was leaving soon. Unfortunately once Victor leaves, John Constantine is going to pay the tower a visit. I don't like him very much, but he can be helpful sometimes.

My only worry is Damian. John said he has some things he wants to discuss, and now Damian will be here. Damian and John both have... independent personalities. They really don't get along with many people. That means that they either are going to get along really well or absolutely hate each other. I do not need to separate a fight right now.

Victor and I switched roles when he saw me. I took control of the monitor, and he left after a brief greeting. Damian went to the training room, leaving me to worry about if he is going to try to behead Constantine. I heard the Zeta tubes announce someone's arrival as Constantine arrived.

"I don't suppose you'll let me smoke up here, eh?" John asked as he fiddled with a pack of cigarettes in his hand.

"Nope." Was my simple rely.

"Bloody shame. Anyway, I'm here about some strange signs I've seen. Specifically around some of you and your little 'bat clan'." I nodded to him and motioned for him to sit. He decided to lean on the edge of the table instead. I raised my hand as to say to continue.

"Well you see-" he started before trailing off. "I'm sorry what's that noise?" Apparently I had tuned Damian out because it sounded like he was demolishing some of the practice dummies. I sighed. This was going to take a while.

"Hold on a second" I said as I left him at the table. When I returned, I had an unhappy Damian following me. Apparently he would rather train than listen to some "asshole explain magic to him".

"John Constantine, my son Damian. Damian, John Constantine" I gestured them towards each other. Damian remained unamused, and John just ignored his existence.

"Anyways... I'm here about some indications I've seen around your little 'bat clan'. I know you have that girl, Trigon's daughter, that hangs around you lot, but I think there may be some other magic at play too." John explained. Damian seemed interested now but not out of curiosity. It looked almost like fear. 

Before I could mention it, I received a call from Clark. He knows what's going on, so it must be important. I looked at the two of them and excused myself. As I walked out of the room, both of them appeared to be mainting intense eye contact without any conversation.

Apparently Clark just called because of a malfunction in our systems. It has alerted him of a crime, but there was none. I'll have to fix whatever glitch that was later. 

When I went back to the two, they were in the same position, eyes locked in concentration. It was similar to how I communicate with the others in the "bat clan". I cleared my throat when they failed to notice me, effectively getting their attention. 

"I'm sorry Bats. Looks like I've made a mistake. I guess I didn't account for how much magic that Raven girl really has." John said as he made his way to the zeta tubes, before I could say anythingz Before he left, it looked like he mouthed something to Damian, but I missed what he said.

"Well that was a waste of time Father" Damian complained.

I turned to to ask him what had happened, but he had already gone back to the training room. I know they're both odd at times, but this was extremely odd. I'll have to look into whatever that was. 

——————————————————————————-  
Dick's POV:

I walked into the Teen Titan's tower to the sound of bickering. I guess some things just don't change. When I made my way to the living room, Damian and Raven were arguing with Garth and Jamie.

"You can't just say that to someone!" Garth nearly yelled.

"And why not?" Damian retorted.

"Because it's rude!" Jamie defended.

"I fail to see how stating your opinion is considered rude." Raven countered.

Instead of get in the middle of whatever *that* was, I decided to go find Kori. Maybe she would know what happened. I soon found Kori in our room with earbuds in.

"Hey Babe" I greeted. No answer. I tapped her on her shoulder, and she turned around, taking out her earbuds. 

"Dick!" She exclaimed as she enveloped me in a hug.

"Hey Babe" I say as I give her a kiss. "What happened with all that?" I ask gesturing toward where the kids- oh I'm sorry teens were.

"Some ridiculous fight. Damian told someone that he 'does not wish to be in their presence' so 'kindly remove yourself from this conversation' to someone, and Garth and Jamie are upset now." She said imitating Damian. I smiled at her antics

"Well it's better than stabbing them or telling them to 'screw off'?" I suggested. "What's Raven think?"

"She tells people the same thing all the time, so she sided with Damian. Personally, I'm just glad he didn't start a fight. Peacefully resolving issues isn't his stongsuit, but he's been working on it." Star explained. I nodded my agreement. That makes sense. 

I was just about to ask her what she wanted me to make everyone for dinner when we heard a shattering noise. We looked at each other quickly before rushing out to see everyone.

Garth and Jamie were panicking. Raven and Damian looked to each other, Damian with fear and Raven with... sympathy? The floor to floor glass windows in the room were all shattered, from the looks of it by magic.

"What happened? Is everyone okay?" Kori asked with concern evident in her voice. 

"Y-yeah. We just were fighting, and we went too far. Sorry Raven, we forgot that your powers are tied to your emotions." Jamie explained

"Yeah sorry Raven" Garth also apologized. Raven looked even more panicked. She looked at Damian for a moment before speaking.

"It's okay. I'll clean this up later, I think I'd better go meditate now" she said as she excused herself. 

"Everyone else should help clean up while she meditates" I decided. If they made her upset, they should clean up the mess. They all started cleaning but Damian looked a little more shaken than the others. 

As he was sweeping up glass, Damian got a call. I don't know who from, but he looked even more unsettled than he already was. He looked to me for permission to take a break to answer, and I nodded. He went to his room to talk, and on his way I heard a snippet of his conversation.

"No, everything is fine. Why don't you mind your own business" he seemingly defended against whoever was on the phone.

I don't know what happens exactly, but I know what I was told wasn't it. I looked to Kori and I could tell she also knew something was off.

——————————————————————————-  
Damian's POV:

Oh my God what did I do. I'm usually fine. I don't know what is was exactly that got to me. After Grayson walked past us arguing things got worse.

"Well of course you two wouldn't know how to interact with people properly, you're both really anti social." Garth said

"Excuse me?" I interjected 

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Raven asked at the same time.

"Well you know... Raven, you secluded yourself growing up because of the whole thing with your dad and all. Damian, you're an assasin who wa a raised to kill. Neither of you exactly had normal lives" Garth explained, loosing some of his confidence.

I don't know what exactly set me off. Maybe it wa the "you're an assassin" rather than "you were an asssain"or "you were raised by assasins". Maybe I was just already pissed off, but I lost my cool. 

Raven was pissed too, but I could see her taking deep breaths to calm herself down. I, on the other hand, panicked. And that's why John Constantine called.

"Is everything alright? I'm sending something magical around you." He asked

No, everything is fine. Why don't you mind your own business"I snapped

"Kid listen. I have no intention of outtinf you unless you're a danger to someone, so just tell me what happened." I stayed silent for a moment.

"Okay something happened, but I'm working on it. Everything is going to be fine, thing just got out of hand. I'm going to go try to meditate or something." I replied. 

"Whatever you say. Just be careful kid" he said hanging up.

When I hung up, I sat in a corner in the floor. I have to try to concentrate on keeping my emotions down. I texted Raven and asked her to some to my room. It would be suspicious if I went or her room after "she" just had a meltdown. 

"Hey Damian, how are you holding up?" Raven asked as she teleportated into my room. She held out her hand for me to stand up and led me to the center of my room. We sat down and crossed our legs to meditate. 

"I'm so sorry Raven. You shouldn't have taken the blame for that though, it was my fault." I apologized, and I meant it. I don't apologize to many people either.

"It's totally fine. I get it, you're not quite ready to tell others that your part Demon. Trust me, I get it. Now all you need to think about is relaxing. Let the negative energy out, and let the positive energy in" she instructed as we both took deep breaths. 

"Thank you" 

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not going to say anything, and it sounds that that Constantine guy you met isn't going to say anything, but you need to tell them. You can't keep this a secret forever. And they won't be as accepting if they have to figure it out themselves." Raven calmly stated. I knew she wa trying to reason with me while keeping me in a peaceful state of mind.

"I understand, but what am I supposed to do or say? I can't exactly go up to them and say 'hey! You know how you guys call me Demon Spawn? Well your actually half accurate as Taliah Al Guhl is a Demon, as are all of the Al Guhls. So yes I am an assasin and a half demon'" I said, only getting s little more stressed. She only knew because of the whole 'Trigon fiasco', but she didn't tell anyone.

"Is there ever a good way? Just don't wait until someone in your family tries to destroy the world and use you as a conduit to let them to is" She retorted with a small smirk. By now I was much more calm, so I threw a pillow at her playfully. Just then I heard a knock on the door. 

"Hey Dami, can I tall to you- oh, you too Raven." Grayson said as he peaked in. Me and Raven shared a look of worry before following him to the living room, where everyone else was. This is not good.

"So what really happened?" Starfire asked everyone. Garth and Jamie looked confused, while me and Raven panicked.

"What do you mean? We told you what happpend. We were here." Jamie questioned.

"You may be telling the truth, but they are hiding something." Grayson said pointing to me and Raven.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Raven lies for me. I couldn't do this anymore. I know that Raven accepts me even though she knows I'm part Demon, a Demi-Demon if you will.

"Fine you win" I said making everyone turn to me. Raven in surprise the rest of them in question. "BUT I don't like repeating things so if I'm going to explain, I better have everyone here."

Grayson didn't need to ask to know who I meant. A phone call and a few minuets later, Fathe, Todd, Pennyworth, and Drake came through the zeta tubes.

"What happened to the windows?" Drake asked immediately

"$50 says it was Demon Spawn's fault" Todd challenges. Drake looked between me and the window and took the bet.

"Wow Drake you really just lost $50" I said with a bit of a mischievous smirk. Todd was $50 and one victory richer.

"Wait, but Raven was the one who broke the window?" Garth questioned. "Not to rat you out" he hurried to add.

"Well that's the thing, you see... Ravens not the only half Demon here..." I said sheepishly. I refused to make eye contact with anyone but Raven, who looked at me with encouragement.

"Technically, Taliah and nearly every other Al Guhl is Demon; 'Demon's Head' and 'Heir to the Demon' aren't just titles. Seeing as I'm not a fan of magic, I rarely used it, but I got really stressed out because of someone, and I accidentally broke the window." I explained.

I expected to be yelled at or something or kicked out. Garth, Jamie, Starfire, and Grayson were processing this. What I didn't expect was the collective "ohhhhhh" from Father, Pennyworth, Todd, and Drake. Apparently they didn't either becaus they all looked confounded that others had the same reaction.

"So I'm guessing you have a human and demon form like Raven..." Drake started.

"... but when you're stressed or upset, you accidentally partially skip into your Demon form." Todd finished. Alfred nodded at the conclusion as if he agreed.

"How the hell did you know that?" Father asked, as he clearly didn't know that part. They all answered at once.

"Nails when he got stabbed"

"Eyes when I accidentally pissed him off"

"Teeth when he wanted to murder these two"

"So wait, you guys aren't going to kick me out?" I asked timidly.

"Or course not Master Damian" Pennyworth assured.

"Although this is something we need to go ever in detail more, that can be discussed another time." Father added. I finally looked around at everyone and saw they all had come to the same conclusion.,

I always felt out of place. Where it was because I was an assasin, had no childhood, or am half demon, I never felt like I belonged. Like I was wanted. No one knew all of me, so no once really wanted me. Thats is until now. I felt accepted and loved. I think this is when I really realized that I had people who would be there for me no matter what.


End file.
